My Worst Enemy
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: Sometimes the only person standing in your way is yourself. When NCIS Agent Gibbs finds out that Shannon had some secrets, Gibbs also starts to realize that maybe he's been standing in his own way for too long. NCIS xover. sick!Harry
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTES: You know how plot bunnies are always jumping around going 'Pick me! Pick me! Write me!'? Well, I've decided to take a few of my wild plot bunnies and give them a home with this story. I know I've got a few other stories going on and my NCIS story 'Second Chances' WILL be getting another chapter _soon._

Not sure about relationships in this story. I'm open to suggestions but NO SLASH.

STORY SUMMARY: Gibbs finds out there are things Shannon never told him. And a certain young wizard helps Gibbs let go of the past as well as learn that you can't always save the ones you love.

* * *

HARRY POTTER: My Worst Enemy

(NCIS Crossover)

* * *

Ziva David loved the early mornings. That time of day when not even the sun was up and most of the world was still asleep. This was the time of day when she loved to go for a morning run before going into NCIS—The Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Even more so after Gibbs had come back to NCIS after a temporary retirement. When Gibbs had gone down to Mexico after surviving an explosion, Ziva had lapsed on her morning runs. Sometimes getting up later and sometimes skipping the run all together.

But the first morning after Gibbs was reinstated, Ziva had woken at 3:45 in the morning and when her shoes hit the paved trail, all the worries, the memories of being on the run from Mossad, the FBI, and NCIS and everything else that had happened flew from her mind and moments later she was back in her old rhythm.

Yes, life was back to normal now.

Catching a glimpse of something lying by a tree, Ziva slowed to a stop and tentatively walked over to the body of a young man about 13 years old. Looking around, Ziva grabbed her cellphone and dialed as she knelt down and checked the teenager for a pulse. "Tony, it's Ziva. I need you to get here as soon as you can. Have Abby track my cellphone." After hanging up, Ziva called 911 before looking around to see if there was anyone who might have seen something.

--

15 minutes later, Ziva saw her partner, Anthony DiNozzo jogging up followed by paramedics. "Morning, Ziva. Want to tell me what happened?" Tony asked as he stood next to her and pulled out a small memo pad and a pen.

"I was on my morning run," Ziva replied. "I saw something. I thought maybe someone left their jacket."

"Turns out to be a kid," Tony added, looking at the paramedics. "How is he?"

"Alive," one of the paramedics replied. "Bunch of bruises but no broken bones."

"Abuse?" Ziva guessed.

"Probably," Tony replied. Looking at his partner, he said, "I'll give you a lift to the hospital."

Ziva nodded as she followed Tony to his car. "Tony, what is it?"

"It's nothing," Tony replied quickly.

"No, it is something," Ziva insisted. "Dump it."

"You mean 'spill it'," Tony corrected as he got behind the wheel of his car. "And… I can't. At least not to you."

Ziva felt annoyed that Tony wouldn't trust her as she asked, "Then who can you tell? Gibbs? Maybe I should have called him instead."

"Gibbs doesn't know either," Tony said as he headed to University Hospital.

"Well, then _who_ are you going to tell about this big secret?" Ziva snapped, getting more and more irritated.

--------------

When Harry Potter started to regain consciousness he could immediately tell he was in a hospital. What he didn't know was what had happened and where exactly he was. Harry's uncle, Vernon Dursley had been acting strangely the past few weeks and then… Harry remembered going to bed… then… then waking up in the hospital… What had happened in between? Why couldn't he remember?

"Hey… you're awake…"

Harry blinked as he saw a blurry form looking at him. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Jeanne Benoit," the woman replied, handing Harry his glasses. After he put them on she asked, "What's your name?"

"Harry… Harry Potter."

"Good. And where are you from?" Jeanne asked as she checked Harry's pulse.

"Little Whinging, Surrey," Harry replied.

Jeanne looked at Harry, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "You're from England?"

Harry nodded. "Why?"

Jeanne sighed. "Harry, you're in Washington, DC. In the United States."

Harry's eyes widened. "What? H-How did I get here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Jeanne replied. "A jogger found you lying on the ground covered in bruises. Did someone hurt you?" Seeing that Harry was starting to sweat, Jeanne grabbed a thermometer and stuck it under Harry's tongue. After a few moments, she withdrew it. "Have you been sick lately?"

"Just tired," Harry replied. "My… my aunt works me a lot."

Jeanne grabbed Harry's chart and made a few notes. "I want to run some tests…" Giving Harry a smile she added, "It's probably nothing. I just want to make sure it's nothing serious."

Harry nodded as the doctor left and lay back on the gurney as one of the orderlies came into the room.

--

Jeanne headed for the nurses' station, stopping when she saw a man and a woman standing there. "Can I help you?"

The man smiled as he pulled out a badge and replied, "I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and this—" He added, indicating the woman who pulled out her own badge. "—is Officer Ziva David. We're with NCIS. Where's the kid?"

"Exam room 3. And his name is Harry," Jeanne replied, irritated by the man's attitude but there was something about him…

"How is he?" Ziva asked concerned. "I-I was the one who found him. I was on my morning run."

Jeanne sighed. "I'm worried about the bruises. He doesn't remember being attacked and he's got a fever. I've ordered blood tests…. but there is something even stranger."

"Like what?" Tony asked, frowning slightly. He hadn't told NCIS's director about what had happened yet although he knew he needed to very soon.

"Like the fact that Harry's from England," Jeanne replied. "And he has no idea how he got here."

"Someone drugged him?" Ziva queried, looking at Harry.

"We're just waiting for the tox screen," Jeanne replied. "I'll let you know when we have something."

As Tony and Ziva started for the elevators, Tony said, "I'm going to give Gibbs a sitrep. Stay here… keep an eye on the kid. Call me as soon as you know something."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_Darby, England_

Hermione Granger was going out of her mind with worry. No one had seen or heard from Harry in more than three weeks and the Dursleys' house was abandoned.

Dumbledore had sent aurors all over England, Ireland, and Scotland but no one could find any trace or sign of Harry.

Sirius had written from some tropical location and had reported that the Mexican and European wizarding authorities hadn't heard or seen anything either.

It didn't seem possible. How could a 15-year-old wizard just _vanish_?

But when it became week four with no news, Hermione decided to do some research into Harry's family. Perhaps he'd found another relative and was staying with them.

There was nothing in the muggle libraries about Harry's father's family but looking into Lily Evans' family, Hermione quickly found what she was looking for. Writing out notes on what she'd discovered, Hermione made a mental note to send an owl to Dumbledore straight away so that he could make the proper contacts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_NCIS Headquarters_

_Washington, DC_

NCIS Director Jennifer Shepard didn't like the reports she was hearing from Europe. The wizarding world was in a royal tizzy over the disappearance of Harry Potter and for some strange reason no one knew anything. It was unacceptable.

Hearing a knock on the door of her office, Jenny looked up. "Come in," She said, briskly and was surprised to see one of her senior field agents, Tony DiNozzo, come in. "How can I help you, Agent DiNozzo?"

"Actually, I came to help you, Director," Tony replied. "With a certain missing person."

Jenny sat up straighter and replied, "Close the door." After Tony did so, she asked, "And how do you know about…?"

"Former partner in Baltimore was from a magical family," Tony replied, succinctly. "What about you, Director?"

Jenny smiled. "I went to a private magical school when I was 9." Leaning forward, she went on, "Harry Potter?"

Tony sat down and let out a long, slow breath. "He's at University Hospital. _Looks_ like he was beaten and dumped in a park but his doctor seems to think there may be more to it."

"What's the doctor's name?' Jenny asked, grabbing a notepad and a pen.

"Jeanne Benoit," Tony replied, unable to suppress the smile on his face. But the smile faded slightly when he saw the look on his boss's face. "You know her?"

"She's the daughter of Rene Benoit," Jenny replied, pointedly.

"La Grenouille," Tony said, stunned. "Hah… Okay, um…" He cleared his throat and added, "I made a date with her to go out for coffee tomorrow evening. Guess that's a bad idea."

Jenny smiled as she saw the look on her agent's face. "Go."

"Ma'am?" Tony asked, confused.

"We can use this," Jenny explained. "Date her. If you get close to her maybe you'll get close to La Grenouille."

Tony leaned forward. "She knows I'm a cop. If her father finds out…"

"As far as he knows, you met his daughter working a case and you thought she was attractive," Jenny said with a slight shrug. "Just do what you do best, Tony… Charm her…"

"And what about Harry?" Tony asked, wanting to change the subject.

Jenny sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'll make some calls… If Harry Potter is indeed the victim of abuse we need to find a safe place for him to stay while we track down who hit him."

-------------------

The next morning, Harry awoke to find Dr. Benoit looking over his chart. "Dr.?"

"Morning," Jeanne replied as she pulled a chair over by Harry's bed. "I've got the results of your blood tests."

Harry sat up and looked at her, knowing in his stomach it wasn't good news. If it was good news Dr. Benoit would have been smiling. "And?" Harry asked, hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know.

"There were some abnormalities in your bloodwork," Jeanne said, simply. "We need to do a spinal tap and a bone marrow biopsy to confirm."

"Confirm what?" Harry asked, the twisting in the pit of his stomach getting worse.

Jeanne took a deep breath and replied, "The kinds of abnormal cells that showed up in your bloodwork are common in cases of leukemia. Our pediatric oncologist, Dr. Meredith Willis, is going to look over the LP and biopsy results."

Harry lay back and let out a long, slow breath. "If it is…?"

Jeanne tried to give Harry a reassuring smile. "Let's wait until all the results are in before talking about that, okay?"

Harry nodded, but he knew it was just delaying the inevitable.

----

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ziva barely glanced at the person who stood next to her as she looked into Harry's hospital room. "They finished the spinal tap," Ziva said, quietly. "Now they are doing a bone marrow biopsy."

"I did some of my own research," Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard said, looking at the teenager before turning to the NCIS/Mossad agent. "Mr. Potter's mother had two sisters. One was Petunia Dursley whom I must admit is the last person who should care for children…"

"And the other sister?" Ziva asked.

"She died… 15 years ago…" Ducky replied, holding out a file.

Ziva took it and she sighed when she saw the woman's photo. "Have you told him?"

Ducky shook his head. "No. I have tried to think of a way of starting that conversation but it just doesn't sound right."

"Perhaps you are the wrong person to tell him," Ziva suggested.

"Jenny," Ducky nodded. "Yes, I have a feeling that this is best left to her."

--------------

In her office, Jenny studied her best field agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs before sliding a file towards him.

"What's this?" Gibbs asked, looking at the folder.

"I had Abby run DNA on Harry Potter," Jenny explained. "To see if we could find any other relatives. One came up."

"Okay," Gibbs replied, grabbing the folder. "So tell them."

"I just did," Jenny replied, quietly. "I don't know if she ever told you… but Shannon had a sister. Two of them, in fact."

Gibbs opened the file and looked through. The DNA was right, but… "She never told me…" Gibbs said as he sat down.

"Shannon was Diane and Gregory Evans' first daughter," Jenny said, looking at Gibbs. "Born a year before they married. They gave her up to Lilah and Victor Carson." After a moment, she added, "Harry is your nephew, Jethro."

Gibbs started to speak when his cell phone rang. Flipping it open, he said, crisply, "Gibbs. Yeah… I'll be right there, Ziva." Hanging up, he stood and left the file on Jenny's desk.

"Jethro?" Jenny asked, frowning slightly. "What is it?"

----------------

Standing outside Harry Potter's room, Gibbs wasn't sure what to think. Shannon had never told him she was adopted… but maybe she hadn't known about it herself.

"I take it Jenny told you," Ziva said as she stood next to her boss. Looking at Harry, she added, "Dr. Benoit is just waiting on the biopsy results to confirm, but…"

"Not good news?" Gibbs said, quietly.

Ziva shook her head. "They got Harry's medical records from England," she went on. "Until the age of 16 yearly physical exams are mandatory before each school year. The Dursleys knew something was amiss less than two months ago. There were notes that Harry's physicians tried to contact Petunia and Vernon Dursley so they could bring Harry back for more tests."

"They used that as an excuse to get rid of him," Gibbs said, feeling his anger rising.

"McGee has a BOLO out for the Dursleys that covers all of the United States and Europe," Ziva went on. "Interpol has been given the information and their passports have been revoked." Turning to Gibbs, she added, "And when we do find the Dursleys?"

But Gibbs wasn't paying attention. Looking at Harry he saw that he had Shannon's cheekbones… her nose… even the shape of Harry's eyes was the same… Going into the room, Gibbs sat next to the bed and said, "I'm NCIS Special Agent Gibbs."

"You're looking for my aunt and uncle, aren't you?" Harry asked, sitting up.

Gibbs nodded. "We also started looking for any other family members."

"My parents died when I was a baby," Harry said, quietly. "Aunt Petunia was my only relative."

Gibbs was silent for a moment before he replied, "She wasn't."

Harry sat up a bit more, ignoring the pain in his hip from the bone marrow biopsy. "What?"

"15 years ago… I lost my first wife in a car accident," Gibbs said, slowly. "She never told me… maybe she didn't know, but… she was adopted." Fixing Harry with a look, Gibbs added, "Shannon was your aunt, Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. He'd never known his parents… and he'd had an aunt he'd never known about? "Did…?" Harry wasn't sure how to ask the question and figured he'd just ask. "Did you and Shannon… ever have any kids?"

Gibbs' smile was bittersweet as he pulled out an old photograph and handed it to Harry. "A daughter… Kelly."

Harry looked at the picture. Shannon looked a lot like his mother… and Kelly… she was cute… Handing the picture back, Harry asked, "What's going to happen to me now? Where am I going to go?"

But Gibbs was prevented from replying by the arrival of Dr. Benoit and an older woman with short black hair. The other woman's face was impassive, but there was sadness and regret in her eyes.

Jeanne Benoit gestured to the other woman as she said, "This is Dr. Willis." Glancing at Gibbs, Jeanne added, "Our pediatric oncologist." Looking at Harry, she said, "I'm sorry, Harry."

Dr. Willis looked at Harry, her impassive expression starting to fade into one of regret. "You should have started treatment months ago, Harry. We're going to do what we can but with this kind of delay… The kind of cancer you have is very fast and very aggressive. We're going to start you on chemotherapy, but there is a chance we're too late."

Harry sighed as he lay back against his pillow. Looking at the doctors, he asked, "Am I going to… Am I going to die?"

Dr. Willis sighed. "I hope not. But even with chemo… We could just be giving you more time."

Harry closed his eyes and tried not be angry. But at the same time he knew that there was a good chance… his aunt and uncle had just signed his death warrant.

-------------------

**A/N: **Next chapter, Gibbs stops by to visit an old friend and Hermione arrives in DC with back up.

(If anyone's wondering whether Harry's going to live or not...... haven't gotten that far yet.)


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I just want to point out that anyone who thinks I went lightly on the Dursleys in this chapter… I've never been great with graphic violence. But they will be facing something worse than Gibbs: Molly Weasley.

Remember to show your love: Read and review!

Chapter 2

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Gibbs wasn't sure what to do. He knew DiNozzo could handle things for a while and after more than an hour of aimlessly driving he found himself stopping outside a one-story ranch far away from the city.

After a few minutes, Gibbs got out of the car and stood staring at the house.

5 years ago this had been a lively place. Stray dogs and cats found a home here. Wild animals—foxes, birds, squirrels, possums—could always find food and safety in the barn in back.

Now the house was quiet and only a few animals remained. Walking up to the door, Gibbs knocked and waited until the door opened revealing a woman with light brown hair, green eyes, and a slightly surprised expression. "Hi, Claire."

"Jethro," Claire Hyden said as she stood aside and let him in. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied as Claire closed the door. "Heard you made Captain last month."

Claire nodded. "The Navy has been good to me. And now that I'm settled here again…" Waving a hand dismissively as she and Gibbs went into the kitchen, she said, "You're not here to talk about that. What's really going on, Jethro? What brings you all the way out to my neck of the woods?"

As they sat down in the kitchen, Gibbs asked, "Did you know Shannon was adopted?"

Claire sighed. She and Shannon had been friends since they were toddlers. When Shannon had married Jethro Gibbs, Claire had been maid of honor and when Kelly was born, Claire became an honorary aunt and the child's godmother. "I knew…" Getting up and making coffee, Claire added, "It didn't matter to Shannon. She loved her parents."

"How did she find out?" Gibbs asked as Claire started the coffee brewing.

"Shannon… was angry at her mother. She was 10 years old," Claire explained. "Said the old 'I wish you weren't my mother'… When her father found out he told Shannon." Pouring two mugs of black coffee and handing one to her best friend's husband, she sat down and went on. "I did some digging about 8 years ago. One of Shannon's sisters—Lily—died a few years after…" Looking down at her mug, she muttered, "Well… Anyway… Lily had a son. When Lily died, I thought maybe the kid could get foster placement with you, but… I, uh… I knew you were still trying to deal with what happened and… I decided against mention iting. I know what that kind of pain is like." Looking up she said, "I know you view apologies as a sign of weakness-"

"Not between friends," Gibbs said, quietly, looking at Claire.

"I'm sorry, Jethro," Claire said. "I should have told you. I should have let you make that decision."

"You knew about Harry?" Gibbs asked, sipping his coffee.

Claire looked up. "You've been doing some digging of your own, I see."

"Harry's in DC," Gibbs clarified.

Claire sighed. "Runaway? I heard his aunt and uncle—The Dursleys—weren't exactly parents of the year."

"We're not sure how he got here," Gibbs replied.

Claire set her mug down and reached for Gibbs' hand. "Jethro, talk to me. What is it?"

Gibbs sighed. "Harry was found in a park… unconscious," he said, softly. "We're trying to track down Shannon's other sister—"

"Petunia Dursley," Claire supplied. "She didn't… she didn't hurt Harry, did she?" When Gibbs remained silent, Claire squeezed his hand. "Jethro, what's wrong? Did the Dursleys hurt him?"

Gibbs sighed. "Harry's sick." Seeing Claire's look, he added, "Really sick."

Claire let out a long, slow breath. "Jethro, I'm sorry. Just doesn't end, does it? The losses…"

"Doctors are starting him on treatment but it might be too late," Gibbs went on, looking into Claire's eyes. When he saw the pain in her eyes, he sighed. "Claire, I-I'm sorry. I didn't…"

Claire shook her head as Gibbs held her hand. "Jake… had been in and out of remission. I could tell it was coming, but… But he'd been there before. He'd had miraculous remissions before and…" With a wry look, she said, "You're never ready for that. And then last year when Bryan was killed in that store robbery…"

Gibbs stood and pulled Claire to her feet and into a hug. "I know…" Gibbs murmured.

Claire sighed. "Jethro… I'm not ready. It's all… I'm not ready for us to… I just need you to be my friend, Jethro."

"I know," Gibbs replied. "But… I need you to come with me. Please."

------------------------

Once Hermione found Harry in Washington, DC she didn't want to bring in the Weasleys in case Harry had been attacked by Death Eaters. Therefore, upon arriving in the States, Hermione exited Washington-Dulles Airport with Remus Lupin, Sirius Black—Harry's godfather—and Isabelle Candlewood—an auror with the American Ministry of Magic who had been asked to escort them.

During the drive to NCIS, Hermione was silent but Sirius could tell something was bothering her. "Harry will be just fine," Sirius assured her.

"I'm just…" Hermione sighed. "I keep… getting this feeling that he isn't fine," she added as she looked out the window of the car.

"Hermione, Harry is one of the most capable wizards I have ever known," Lupin said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's not that," Hermione said, shaking her head. "It's something else."

-----

Arriving at NCIS, Isabelle led Sirius, Lupin, and Hermione up to the Director's office and Hermione sat down, Sirius and Lupin standing behind her.

"I've spoken with Professor Dumbledore," Jenny Shepard said, giving the teenager a reassuring smile. "He said you're one the brightest students he's ever had."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Hermione said, quietly, blushing a bit. "Wh-where is Harry?"

Jenny leaned forward in her chair a bit and said, "Harry is at University Hospital." Seeing Hermione, Lupin, and Sirius about to all talk at once, Jenny held up a hand. "You can go visit him shortly, but we need to know some things first." Looking at Sirius, she said, "The American Ministry of Magic knows you're innocent, Mr. Black. But I need to know if Lily Potter ever told you she had another sister."

Sirius shook his head, as did Lupin. "It was a long time before Lily even told us about Petunia," Lupin replied. "Why do you ask?"

"And when can we see Harry?" Hermione asked again. The longer she waited, the larger the knot in her stomach got.

Looking at Hermione, Sirius said, "Remus knew Lily better than I did, Director. The two of you can talk while Miss Granger and I go see Harry."

Jenny nodded and looked at Isabelle. "Miss Candlewood, if you would be so kind…"

"Yes, Ma'am," Isabelle said, going to the door.

Again, Hermione was silent when she got into the car and even when Sirius put an arm around her, she didn't feel like talking. Something was wrong… really wrong… And Hermione wasn't sure that this time she'd be able to help Harry get out of it.

---------

The feeling got worse when Hermione got to the hospital and when Sirius asked where Harry was, Hermione's stomach did flip-flops when the nurse replied, "6th floor. Oncology wing."

Running to the lift, Sirius behind her, Hermione fervently hit the 'up' button on the lift.

"Hermione," Sirius said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

When the elevator doors opened, Hermione jumped in and when Sirius stepped in, he saw Hermione hesitate before she hit the '6' button. "Hermione," Sirius said, gently, but firmly.

Hermione couldn't look at Harry's godfather as she said, "Oncology… is the study… of abnormal cell growth."

"What?" Sirius asked, not quite sure he understood.

"Cancer," Hermione clarified, her voice catching. Once on the 6th floor, Hermione didn't want to get off the elevator but she knew that Harry needed her. Walking down the hallway, Hermione saw a group of people milling about outside of one of the rooms. "I-I'm looking for Harry Potter's room?" Hermione said, a bit timidly.

"You're a friend of Harry's?" the taller man with short black hair.

"Yes," Hermione replied, nodding. "I-I'm Hermione Granger." Turning to Sirius, she added, "This is Harry's godfather."

"Harry is in there," A woman with wavy black hair said, kindly. Her accent wasn't quite Middle Eastern, but it was definitely something Hermione had never heard before.

While Sirius spoke with the others, Hermione went into the room and found Harry watching TV. He didn't seem to know she was there and Hermione could see a bruise on Harry's upper arm. "Harry?"

Harry quickly turned the TV off and looked at his best friend. "Hermione… What are you doing here?"

"Harry… what happened?" Hermione asked as she sat next to the bed.

Harry sighed. "Two months ago… Aunt Petunia took me and Dudley for our yearly physicals. A week later… the doctor called back."

"Two months?" Hermione repeated, shocked.

Harry nodded. "The hospital called repeatedly… finally they said they would send someone from child welfare if the Dursleys didn't respond."

"That's when you vanished," Hermione deduced. "We looked for you everywhere. The Weasleys, Dumbledore… no one could find you."

"Uncle Vernon relocated," Harry went on. "And then he drugged me. Left me in a park and dumped my things in some alley not far from where the police found me."

Hermione took her friend's hand and glanced up at the bags of meds hanging from the IV pole. Looking Harry in the eye, she asked, "How bad is it?"

"Bad," Harry replied. Looking at the hallway he said, "The, uh… the doctors are starting to look for… for bone marrow donors… If the… if the chemotherapy treatments don't work." Looking up at the IV, he added, "I get treatments twice a week. They're keeping me in the hospital just in case…"

Hermione threw her arms around her best fiend's neck, not wanting to hear the rest of the sentence.

--

"How bad is Harry?" Sirius asked, as he saw Hermione hugging Harry.

Dr. Mallard looked grave as he replied, "Dr. Willis is being cautiously optimistic. Young Mr. Potter's blood tests were not good. The type of cancer Harry has is aggressive. And with a delay in treatment…" Seeing the look on Sirius's face, Ducky backtracked a bit. "Harry is not terminal. But while he strikes me as a fighter… This may be a battle he can't win."

--

"The Weasleys wanted to come…" Hermione was saying as she and Harry talked about what had been going on after Harry disappeared. "But Sirius and I said we should come here first. Lupin wanted to come to make sure Sirius didn't do anything if they found the Dursleys."

Harry looked over at Sirius and then turned back to Hermione. "The man standing with Sirius… older… gray hair… He's my uncle." When Hermione looked, Harry went on. "Special Agent Gibbs… He's a nice guy."

"Who's the woman with him?" Hermione asked, curious.

Harry shook his head and lay back, closing his eyes. "No idea," he said, softly.

Hermione turned back to Harry and realizing he had fallen asleep, she slowly stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek before going back into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"How's Harry?" Sirius asked.

"He fell asleep," Hermione replied, still looking into the room.

"You and Harry are close, Miss Granger?" Gibbs asked, looking at her.

Hermione nodded, not looking at the NCIS agent. "We've been friends since we met our first day of school. I knew his aunt and uncle were terrible to him but…" After a moment, she sighed. "I should have done something."

"Hermione," Sirius said, gently.

But Hermione whirled around and fixed Harry's godfather with an angry look. "It's _your_ fault Harry was with the Dursleys in the first place! If you hadn't gone after Pettigrew you could have gotten Harry away from his relatives!" Sirius started to reply, but Hermione was getting on a roll. "And 3rd year you let him go! If you'd knocked him unconscious Harry could have gotten away from the Dursleys!"

"Miss Granger," Tony said, giving the others a look before turning his attention to Hermione. "Why don't you and I have a little chat? In private?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed but catching the look he gave her, understood that he knew about the wizarding world. After a while, she allowed herself to be led away by the younger NCIS agent.

Turning to Sirius, Gibbs asked, "What aren't you telling me about what's going on here?"

Sirius looked at Gibbs and replied, "You should talk to your agency director, Agent Gibbs."

--

In an empty exam room, Hermione asked, "You're a wizard?"

Tony grinned. "No, I'm about as much a muggle as it gets," he said with a laugh. "But when I was with the Baltimore PD my old partner was from a magical family." Leaning against the wall, he asked, "And you?"

"My parents are muggles," Hermione replied, shortly.

"Okay," Tony said with a brief nod. "Not much on the chitchat, are you, Miss Granger?"

"Tell me about Harry," Hermione said, quickly.

"Officer Ziva David—the woman I was with outside Harry's room—found Harry when she was on her morning run," Tony said, slipping into 'agent mode'. "Called for an ambulance and when the doctors started doing tests they found out Harry was sick."

Hermione nodded, her temper starting to ebb. "And Agent Gibbs? He's really Harry's uncle?"

"Gibbs' first wife and daughter were killed about 15 years ago," Tony replied. "Their names were Shannon and Kelly. Shannon was adopted but she never told Gibbs."

"Shannon was Lily Potter's sister?" Hermione deduced.

But the door opened before Tony could reply. Seeing Gibbs' expression, Tony knew what was going on. "They found the Dursleys?"

"Metro PD's bringing them in to NCIS," Gibbs replied. "You and Ziva get to do the interrogations." As Tony started to leave the room, Gibbs stopped him. "Don't let Ziva go in there armed," Gibbs said, quietly. When Tony had gone, Gibbs turned to Hermione. "You okay?"

Hermione hopped up on the exam bed and shook her head. "Not really."

"Want to talk about it?" Gibbs asked, eying her.

"I-I know you're busy, Agent Gibbs," Hermione muttered. "Don't… Don't worry about me."

"I've got time, Hermione," Gibbs said, gently. "Talk to me."

"I've always been able to help Harry out of trouble," Hermione replied. "And now that I can't… I don't like it."

"Harry's going to be okay," Gibbs assured her.

"You can't promise that," Hermione said, tears in her eyes.

---------------------

In Interrogation Room 1, Ziva David stared at Vernon Dursley who didn't seem very intimidating at all, really, even including the fact that the he was handcuffed.

"You have no right to hold me here!" Vernon said, angrily, as Ziva leaned calmly back in her chair. "I demand to be released at once!"

"The Director of NCIS briefed me on the special circumstances in this case," Ziva said, smirking. "And before you start shouting again, we do have authorization to detain you."

Vernon smirked. "You have no idea what you're doing. Potter is a freak. Thinks he has magical powers or some such nonsense." Leaning forward, he frowned at Ziva as he went on. "Potter's violent. He's threatened me and my family. I was trying to protect them."

"By locking Harry in a closet for 10 years?" Ziva asked with forced calm. "By starving him? By abusing him?" Leaning forward, she went on. "You followed the laws and took Harry for yearly physical exams but when the doctors found out he was sick… It was the perfect opportunity to be rid of him."

"The little brat is fortunate we took him in at all!" Vernon shouted, angrily. "I should have dumped him at an orphanage but my wife was too soft to do it."

When Ziva stood slowly and fixed Vernon with a look, she gave a small smile when she saw the man cower slightly. Without saying anything else, Ziva left the room and went next door where Petunia Dursley was sitting looking irritated and impatient. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Ziva said as she sat down.

"I take it you're aware of my nephew's… condition," Petunia said as she frowned at the other woman.

"Are you referring to Harry's… abilities or his illness?" Ziva replied, fixing Petunia with a look. "Because I have been briefed on both. Your husband says that he wanted to get rid of Harry as soon as the boy ended up on your doorstep. That you wanted to keep him."

"My parents were so… _proud_ of my sister being a witch!" Petunia spat. "I saw her for what she was: a _freak_! And that brat got more than he deserved from us."

--

Stepping into the observation room where Tony had been watching, Ziva slammed the door before kicking an empty chair. "Get Gibbs," Ziva snapped.

"Gibbs is afraid he'll kill them," Tony replied, calmly. "That's why he wanted _us_ to do the interrogations."

"And I will personally kill both of them with my bare hands if I have to talk with them again," Ziva said, irritably as she paced the room. "They are classic sociopaths. They know what they're doing is wrong and they don't care."

"I'll go in," Tony offered, heading for the door.

Ziva didn't reply but she paused in her pacing when Tony entered the room with Vernon Dursley.

--

"So what were the rules?" Tony asked, sitting down and looking at Vernon with interest.

"What are you talking about?" Vernon retorted, confused.

"Come on!" Tony said, smiling. "Abusive parents always have rules. Don't make your bed, get slapped. Burn dinner, a punch to the face… If the kid breaks something, well… that's worth at least a broken finger, right?" The smile slid off his face as he leaned forward. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break something on you."

Vernon laughed. "You're a bloody cop. You can't hurt me."

"I'm not as skilled at it as my partner would be," Tony admitted. "But believe me… it would be a pleasure to hurt someone like you."

"The woman?" Vernon sneered. "Petunia's more intimidating than her."

Tony smiled as he asked, "You ever do any business in the Middle East?"

Vernon rolled his eyes at the question. "Sometimes," he admitted. "I don't handle international business."

"Ever heard of the Israeli Mossad?" Tony asked and he saw a slight glimmer of fear on Vernon Dursley's face. "The only thing keeping me from locking you and Officer David in a room and giving her a knife is the fact that my boss wants you alive."

"DiNozzo."

Tony looked up as Gibbs entered the room. Looking back to Vernon, Tony stood and nodded. Going to the video camera, he unplugged it before silently leaving the room.

Vernon Dursley was a master of intimidation but looking into the other man's eyes, he felt intimidated.

"Lily Potter wasn't your wife's only sister," Gibbs said in a quite tone. "My first wife was related to her as well." Leaning on the table, he added, "I don't like when people hurt my family." Walking around Vernon, Gibbs grabbed the man by the back of the neck and jerked him back. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"Like that will help Potter," Vernon muttered and he felt his head forced into the table. "You're mental."

"You're not going to bait me," Gibbs insisted.

"You're here," Vernon said with a smirk. "Were your agents babysitting you? Or was it your boss who kept you away?"

"Nope," Gibbs said as he circled the table and Vernon Dursley. "I took myself off the case. Couldn't be objective. I've got a bit of a habit of going off on my own… dealing personally with people who hurt the ones I care about." Sitting on the other side of the table, Gibbs leaned back. "Killed a terrorist who shot one of my agents in the head. Assaulted a man who tried to kill my forensics tech. 15 years ago I used a sniper rifle to kill the man who killed my family."

--

In the observation room, Tony and Ziva exchanged looks. They'd never heard that part of Gibbs' past before.

--

"So…" Gibbs said as he got up and leaned on the table, eyeing Vernon. "What should I do to you for what you did to Harry?"

Vernon's smugness had vanished but he was still trying to give the illusion that he was in control. "I have a son. Dudley," Vernon muttered, deciding to play the family card. "Only child."

Gibbs chuckled when he heard that and he straightened up. "Oh, yeah, I've heard all about Dudley. Broke Harry's arm 8 years ago. So where's your son now?" When Vernon didn't reply, Gibbs slammed a fist down on the table, satisfied when Vernon jumped. "_Where_?!"

"And if I tell you?" Vernon said, angrily. "Do whatever you want to me, but you won't hurt my son."

"I'm not going to hurt him," Gibbs said, quietly, staring Vernon down. "I'm not like you," Gibbs added in a disgusted tone as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

----

When Gibbs charged into the squad room, Tony, Ziva, and McGee knew that it wasn't going to be pretty. "Dudley Dursley!" Gibbs shouted at his team. "Find the damn kid and bring him in!"

"W-we're working on it, boss," Tony said, starting to get a sense of déjà vu.

"Work faster!" Gibbs demanded as he angrily paced the floor. "Get metro PD in to get the trash in interrogation!"

"On it, boss," McGee said, quickly. After dialing the phone number, he asked, "You okay, boss?"

"No!" Gibbs snapped before heading to the elevator.

-------------------

Harry had just woken up from a nap when he noticed that Gibbs was in the room. "Agent Gibbs?" Harry said, sitting up and reaching for his glasses.

"How are you doing?" Gibbs asked, trying to be cheerful.

"Okay, I guess," Harry said, shrugging. Looking at Gibbs, he asked, "My aunt and uncle?"

"We got 'em," Gibbs replied. "They're in custody."

Harry smiled and laughed. "Now if only I wasn't dying life would be perfect."

Gibbs reached a hand over and lightly smacked Harry on the back of the head. "Hey. You are _not_ going to die."

Rubbing the back of his head, Harry shrugged. "You can't promise that."

"Your godfather told me everything, Harry," Gibbs assured Harry.

"Then you know I've got Voldemort after me," Harry replied, laying back. "I'm going to die one way or the other."

"So you're just going to give up?" Gibbs asked, sitting down next to the bed.

"I was supposed to die that night… when Voldemort killed my parents," Harry said with a shrug. Shaking his head as he sat up again, he asked, "So what's going to happen to the Dursleys?"

"Jail," Gibbs replied, succinctly. "Can't say offhand how long. At least a couple years." Deciding that a change of subject was needed, Gibbs asked, "So what's the story with you and Hermione?"

Harry laughed. "She's my best friend, Agent Gibbs!"

"Sometimes it's best to be friends first," Gibbs pointed out.

"I guess…" Harry shrugged. "But I think right now my problem is living long enough to actually get to the point where Hermione and I might… you know."


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry this took so long. Late night shifts were sucking the creativity right out of me. Plus I'm still writing on my old computer since I have yet to get the 2007 version of MS Word on MY BRAND-NEW LAPTOP!!!!!!

Sorry, but I'm just so happy to _finally_ have a new computer. (My old one is a 2001!)

Chapter 3

* * *

Getting back to the squad room, Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the woman standing next to McGee's desk.

"Um, Molly Weasley, Boss," McGee said, catching his boss's look as he looked around the older woman who turned around. "She's here about Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you," Gibbs said, giving Molly a smile.

"Where's Harry?" Molly asked, shortly, as she stormed towards Gibbs and reminding him of an angry mother bear coming after someone who was threatening her cubs.

"Hospital," Gibbs said, simply, as he went to sit at his desk. "He's sick."

Molly's look softened a bit but her eyes were filled with worry. "How sick?"

Gibbs looked up at her and replied, "Have a seat, Mrs. Weasley."

Molly pulled a chair over and sat down, leaning on the desk. "Sirius and Remus wouldn't tell me anything. They just told me to get here as quickly as I could."

Gibbs leaned forward, putting a hand on Molly's. "Thanks for coming. I'm sure Harry will be happy to see you."

"What's wrong with Harry?" Molly asked. "How sick is he?"

"Cancer," Gibbs said, simply. "Leukemia."

Molly wasn't sure of what to say about that. Sitting there for a moment, she just thought about what she'd just heard. "Is Harry going to be okay?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We don't know."

The daggers were back in Molly's eyes as she said, "What do you mean, you don't know?"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at her. "Harry's aunt and uncle delayed his treatment."

"How long?" Molly asked, stunned, but not surprised. From what she knew about the Dursleys, she was surprised they even took Harry for regular health care.

"According to the doctors," Gibbs said, wishing he could give the poor woman some good news. "—Harry's been sick for more than four months. When the Dursleys took him in for his yearly physical two and a half months ago the doctors found out."

"They did nothing?" Molly said, flabbergasted. "They knew Harry was sick and they just…?" Standing quickly, she said, "Where are they?"

----

Looking up when the door of the interrogation room opened, Petunia Dursley was surprised when Agent Gibbs came in looking rather smug. "How long are you holding me here?" Petunia asked.

"DC Metro Police should be here in a few hours," Gibbs said as Molly Weasley entered the room. "Enough time for you ladies to talk." Leaving the room, he went to the observation room where Ziva and Abby were watching.

--

Molly stood on the other side of the table, grateful that she'd given Agent Gibbs her wand. Looking at Petunia Dursley, Molly knew that the temptation to use magic against the woman would be too strong. "I can't imagine hating your own family so much as just sit by and watch your nephew die," Molly said, quietly, trying to control herself.

"That brat was _never_ grateful for what we gave him," Petunia replied, crossing her arms. "We fed him… gave him a home—"

"You gave him shelter!" Molly snapped. "And you can hardly call it that! My husband and I have scraped, saved, and given everything we can to make sure our children are clothed and fed."

"If you can't afford them then maybe you shouldn't have had so many children," Petunia said, sneering. "Surely you freaks have some sort of birth control. Or are you determined to out breed us?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Molly said, sitting down at the table before she reached over and killed the other woman with her bare hands.

"That brat—"

"His name is Harry," Molly said, fixing Petunia with the stare that usually sent her children running for cover. To her credit, Petunia didn't cower but she looked away, making Molly shout, "Your nephew's name is Harry! The boy is your blood whether you want to admit it or not!"

"He's no family of mine," Petunia said, meeting Molly's eyes.

Molly rose up, reached out a hand and slapped Petunia as hard as she could. "You don't know what family is!" She shouted, pounding the table. "You think that because you have a husband and a son you have a family? You know nothing about family."

--

"She makes a very good point," Ziva said, watching the exchange. "Last night I actually called my father." Seeing Gibbs' look, she said, "He was about as surprised as you are."

"You know I could always kill the Dursleys," Abby offered.

"They're not worth it," Ziva said, shaking her head.

"'Not worth it'? Abby said, turning to the other woman and fixing her with a glare. Holding up a hand, she ticked off the Dursley's crimes. "Physical abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, medical neglect, abandonment, malnutrition…" Pointing to the interrogation rooms, Abby said, "Death is the _least_ they deserve."

Abby and Ziva turned to look at Gibbs who remained silent.

--

"Do you know what's going to happen to your son if you and your husband go to prison?" Molly Weasley asked as she stared at Petunia Dursley. "He'll go to foster care. And if he admits to assaulting Harry—"

"You won't take my son!" Petunia shouted, angrily. "You freaks have already destroyed my life!"

Molly decided to draw on the inner calm she'd developed from raising 7 children. The NCIS agents needed an actual confession to make an arrest stick and since riling Petunia hadn't worked… "And Harry's illness would have destroyed it even more, especially if your neighbors found out."

Petunia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, not saying anything more.

----------

Up in the squad room, Tony got off the phone with Harry's doctor back in England who had been more than helpful. Looking over at McGee, he said, "Just got off with a Dr. Martina Davis. She's faxing us copies of the letters she sent to the Dursleys. What do you got, Probie?"

McGee shook his head. "Nothing. Can't find any trace of Dudley Dursley." Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "How do you justify this?"

"You can't," Tony said, simply. "Abuse… medical neglect… There's no excuse for any of it. Worst part is it may have killed the poor kid."

--------------------

Sitting with his godson, Sirius didn't know what to say. Harry looked only slightly better than he had at first, but he still looked sick. "So…" Sirius said, finally. "Agent Gibbs is your uncle, eh?"

Harry gave his godfather a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Seems like a good man."

"That's good," Sirius replied. "How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged. "Not bad… I'm not great, but… I've been worse. Dr. Willis wants to wait another day or two before she lets me leave," Harry added.

Sirius thought about that for a while before asking, "Where…?"

"Agent Gibbs' place," Harry replied. "Sirius, I know you want me to live with you, but—"

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Harry, I don't care if you're living with me, the Weasleys, or Agent Gibbs. Right now all I want is to know you're going to be okay."

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, smiling.

"Are we interrupting?" Remus Lupin said with a smile as he entered the room with Hermione.

"Not at all," Harry said, brightly and Lupin noticed a slight blush on Harry's cheeks when Hermione sat next to Harry and took his hand. "Any, uh… any news about the Dursleys?"

"Molly Weasley just arrived," Lupin said, standing behind Sirius. "She's trying to get them to say exactly what they did but it's not working. And Dudley is still in the wind."

"Why does NCIS need a confession?" Harry asked, confused.

"Because without a confession a lawyer can state that the Dursleys had no knowledge of your illness and no one ever contacted them about it," Hermione replied. "But I've done some research on the type of cancer you have, Harry," she went on, not catching the look between Sirius and Lupin. "The particular type of leukemia you have is usually inherited. Also, it usually develops around age 8-10."

"James just turned 9 when—" Sirius mused, breaking off when he saw Harry's incredulous look.

"When what?" Harry asked.

"When he got sick the first time," Lupin finished.

"James was in remission when he started Hogwarts," Sirius explained. "But his final year, he relapsed."

"Lily found out and she and James became inseparable," Lupin added. "When James started to go into remission again, they got married and had you." Looking at Harry, he said, "It looked like everything was fine until—"

"Until Voldemort came after the three of you," Sirius finished. He could tell from Harry's look that the teenager knew there was more to the story but Sirius didn't have the heart to tell his godson that James was already dying when Voldemort killed him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_13 Years Ago_

_Halloween_

James sat in the office of Victor Getz, a magical healer that specialized in muggle diseases, not quite sure what to make of the healer's diagnosis. The cancer had come back and this time it was even more aggressive. "How long, do you reckon?" James asked.

Getz shook his head. "About… 7 months." He wished he could be more hopeful when he saw James Potter slump in his chair. "Perhaps a year."

"And there… there's nothing we can do?" James asked, hoping there was a slim chance… something… anything.

"We'd be buying you time," Getz replied. "Months… if that."

James closed his eyes, not wanting to believe this. He'd never get to see his son grow up… play Quidditch… get married… And Lily… How could he tell her this?

-----

Lily had finally managed to get Harry down for a nap when James got back. Hurrying to the back door, she opened it, smiling but seeing the look on James' face, she could tell it wasn't good news. "What happened? What did Dumbledore say? Did someone else die? Is it Sirius?"

James went to the kitchen table and slowly sat down, still not sure of what to say. "Lily…"

Lily felt like someone dropped ice into her stomach as she sat down next to her husband. "Tell me it's not my parents…" When James looked at her, Lily asked, "Your mother?" Taking his hand, she said, "Please… Tell me…"

"I…" James stammered as he saw Lily's beautiful green eyes. "I'm…" But there was no easy way to say it. No way to cushion the blow. "I was… with Healer Getz."

"Oh, God," Lily said, feeling like the world had just fallen from beneath her. "No… James…"

"He said… a year at best," James went on as Lily started to cry. Taking both her hands in his, James said, "Lily, please…"

There was a magical crackle in the air and James stood up quickly. Lily looked at him, worry and fear in her eyes. "James, what's—"

"It's him…" James said, feeling the panic rising in his chest. "It's Voldemort! Lily, take Harry and go! I'll hold him off! GO!" Watching Lily scramble out of the room, James turned to the door and drew his wand. He didn't want to die but if he could give Lily even a few seconds… But when Voldemort burst into the house, James stood his ground. "I won't let you kill them."

"Noble words…" Voldemort said, quietly, as he drew his own wand. "But you will still die."

"Then kill me," James said, calmly. "But I'm not going to let you get to Harry… or Lily." Swishing his wand, James hurled spell after spell, hex after hex but Voldemort deflected them all.

Raising his wand, Voldemort's smile was cold and evil as he said, "Avada Kedavra!"

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Present Day_

Sitting with Harry, Molly Weasley felt more and more angry with herself that she couldn't get a confession from the Dursleys. This boy was as much her son as any of her other children and she wanted to help him. But unless Harry's aunt and uncle said something…

"It's not your fault, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, giving her a smile.

"Harry, I just want to make sure you never have to worry about them again," Molly replied.

Harry shook his head. "I don't care. I mean, I want them to be punished but I'm glad you didn't do anything… well, illegal."

Molly looked at Harry with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "What are you up to, Harry?"

"Agent Gibbs is going to let the Dursleys go," Harry replied, smirking. "Hopefully they'll head for wherever Dudley is and once they find him maybe we'll have some actual leverage."

Molly shook her head. "This shouldn't be happening. And I can't believe it's taken the American police to do what should have been done years ago."

"You don't know what it was like," Harry said, softly, looking away.

Molly took Harry's hand and waited for a while until he looked at her. "Tell me." Harry looked away again and didn't reply. Realizing that she was pushing him, Molly brushed Harry's bangs from his face and when he turned to her again, Molly gave him a silent smile. "It's okay, Harry," she said before pulling the boy into a hug.

Looking up as she heard the door open and then close Molly saw Sirius and Lupin walking quickly down the hallway.

-----------------

When Remus Lupin entered the interrogation room where Petunia Dursley was being held, he sat across from her and said, quietly, "I don't suppose you remember me, Petunia."

Petunia sighed. "You were friends with my sister."

Lupin folded his hands on the table and went on. "I know you and Lily had your differences… That you think she was a freak. But Lily was my best friend. It hurt her more than you can imagine when the two of you grew apart. She wanted to share the magical world with you. Help you to see what she saw." After making sure Petunia was indeed listening, Lupin went on. "Dumbledore hoped you could see past your feelings for Lily and care for her son. Harry was and is innocent. All the poor boy has ever wanted was a family."

"If my sister hadn't gotten involved with you… if she'd never met that Potter boy… she'd be alive," Petunia said, bitterly.

Lupin leaned back as he finally started to understand. "You blame the wizarding world for Lily's death."

"And you don't?" Petunia asked.

"I blame the Death Eaters and I blame Voldemort," Lupin replied. "It was magic that saved Harry's life." Leaning forward, he said, "The American police want you to confess what you did to Harry. You know what you did was wrong, Petunia. Make it easy on yourself. Stop being angry and bitter and do the right thing for once."

Petunia closed her eyes and said, "I did what I did to protect him."

"You mean Harry," Lupin clarified.

"Yes," Petunia replied, opening her eyes and leaning forward. "If Vernon knew the boy was sick he would have… Well, at the very least he would have thrown the boy out of the house. But then the letters started. I told them I would handle it. Make arrangements. I wanted to keep it quiet. But Vernon found out when the doctor's office started calling and asking why he… Harry… why he wasn't admitted to the hospital."

"How did Harry get here?" Lupin asked, gently.

Petunia looked down at the table. "Before he… Before Harry went to bed, I drugged him. In the middle of the night I took him out of the house and to a private airfield. That's the last time I saw him."

"Petunia, where is Dudley?" Lupin asked.

"I don't know," Petunia replied, looking up. There were tears falling down her cheeks as she added, "Vernon gave Dudley some money… told him to buy a plane ticket to wherever he wanted. Vernon doesn't know either. Said he didn't want to know."

--

In the observation room, Tony glanced at Gibbs. "I'll check with Interpol."

Gibbs just nodded, watching as Petunia Dursley started crying. On some twisted level she'd actually been trying to do the right thing. And to Gibbs, that was the part that made him angry. That trying to do the right thing had meant hurting Harry more than helping him.

---------------


	4. Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry for the delay but don't ya love writer's block?

Chapter 4

* * *

Saturday morning, Harry woke just as Jeanne Benoit came into the room.

"Good morning, Harry," Jeanne said brightly.

"Morning," Harry replied as he sat up and grabbed his glasses.

"I have good news," Jeanne said with a smile. "You get to get out of here tomorrow as long as there's no new problems with your bloodwork." Harry nodded as Jeanne took new blood samples. "You okay?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess," he muttered as he looked at the IV.

Jeanne smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You remind me of my father." When Harry gave her a curious look, she added, "He never likes to talk about stuff. He always wanted to talk about me. Never liked to talk about himself."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"He never liked to mix business with family," Jeanne replied. After a moment, she stood and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll be back later, okay?"

Harry just nodded and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

--

After dropping off the blood samples with one of the nurses, Jeanne found Agent Gibbs coming out of the elevator. "Agent Gibbs."

"Dr. Benoit," Gibbs said with smile. "How's Harry doing?"

Jeanne shook her head as she looked back at the teenager's room. "Not good, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded and walked into Harry's room closing the door behind him and gave his nephew a smile. "Hey." When Harry didn't reply, Gibbs pulled a chair over and sat down. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Not really," Harry said, not looking at his uncle. After a moment he said, "It's… it's a long story and… and you probably wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," Gibbs said, waiting until Harry finally sat up and looked at him.

Harry took a deep breath and said, "I… I can't."

Gibbs leaned forward. "I know, Harry."

"You know what?" Harry asked, perplexed. But seeing the look in Gibbs' eye, Harry sighed. "You know about me being a wizard?"

Gibbs nodded. "Director Shepard filled me in. Talk to me, Harry."

Harry didn't say anything for a few moments but then he said, "I… don't know where to start."

"Start from the beginning," Gibbs said, gently.

Harry gave a wry laugh. "What's there to say? My parents were murdered when I was a baby and I was sent to my aunt who never gave a damn about me."

"I know about all that, Harry," Gibbs replied. "But I don't know about you."

"Okay," Harry said, nodding. "What do you want to know?"

Gibbs smiled and said, "I want to know about you. Start with the basics. Favorite food?"

"Grilled cheese sandwiches," Harry replied. "You?"

"Does coffee count?" Gibbs asked.

Harry shrugged. "I guess so. Favorite thing to do?"

"Working on the boat in my basement," Gibbs said, quickly. "What about you?"

"Flying," Harry said, just as quickly. "Every time I'm on a broom I feel so free. Like the world just goes away and it's just me and the sky."

Gibbs grinned. "It's like when I'm working on my boat. Every thing just tunes out." Leaning back, he asked, "Tell me about the Weasleys."

Harry laughed. "I met Mrs. Weasley my first day at Hogwarts. She helped me get onto the train platform."

"How many kids does she have?" Gibbs asked.

"7," Harry replied. "Bill is the oldest, then Charlie, Percy, the twins—Fred and George, then Ron—he's in my year at Hogwarts, and Ginny's a year younger." When Gibbs indicated he should continue, Harry added, "Bill is a curse-breaker in Egypt. Charlie works with dragons in Romania. Percy works at the Ministry of Magic."

"Fred and George?" Gibbs asked, curious.

"They want to open a joke shop," Harry replied.

"Not exactly top students, huh?" Gibbs asked, with a smirk.

"No, they're smart," Harry said, shaking his head. "But they're pranksters. Ron…" Harry thought for a moment. "Well, he's the second youngest, so…"

"6 boys and one girl?" Gibbs asked. "That's got to be a busy house."

"Just Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny live at home," Harry replied. "Mr. Weasley works at the Ministry of Magic as well." After a few moments, Harry asked, "Who was the woman you were with before?"

"An old friend," Gibbs replied. After a long pause, he added, "Claire was Shannon's best friend. She lives on a farm about an hour from here."

Harry lay back against the pillows and asked, "What was Aunt Shannon like?"

Gibbs considered the question for a long time. Finally he smiled. "She liked to help people. Shannon had a smile that just made you feel good. She was always warm and caring… I fell in love with her the first time I saw her."

Harry looked at the chair in the corner and saw that Sirius had left Harry's photo album with the other things Sirius and Hermione had brought from England. "Agent Gibbs, could you hand me the photo album over there?" Gibbs nodded and got up, retrieving the album and handing it to Harry. After flipping to the back of the album, Harry pulled out a picture and handed it to Gibbs. "That's my favorite picture of my mum."

Gibbs took the picture of Lily Potter holding a baby Harry and smiled. The picture looked so much like the one he had at home of Shannon holding Kelly when she was born. "You have your mother's eyes. And Shannon's."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Am I interrupting?" Dr. Willis asked as she opened the door.

"The tests back already?" Harry asked, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Something is off," Dr. Willis said as she entered the room. "The abnormal cell levels are low."

"That's good, right?" Gibbs asked. "Harry's not as sick as you thought?"

"Maybe," Dr. Willis replied. "But while the levels are low, they're consistent."

"In English?" Gibbs asked. What was it about doctors and lab techs and computer geeks that they couldn't just talk in normal terms?

"Sustained low levels of malignant cells usually mean a tumor which is slowly releasing malignant cells into the body," Willis explained, looking at Harry. "If the tumor is removed then we can adjust your meds."

"So this is good news," Harry said, hopefully.

"First we have to find the tumor," Willis said. "We're going to do some scans and after we find the thing then we'll go over options."

Harry slowly lay back and nodded. "Okay."

----------------

While waiting for Harry to come back from the tests and scans later that evening, Gibbs had been surprised to see Claire coming up to him and even more so at the dress she wore. "Nice dress," Gibbs said, looking his old friend over. "What's the occasion?"

Claire held out a garment bag and smiled. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" Gibbs asked, taking the bag and unzipping it. When he saw the navy blue suit, he let out a sigh before re-zipping the bag and handing it back. "I'm not going."

Claire frowned at Gibbs and said, "You're going, Jethro. Besides…" she added, holding the bag out again. "We both owe it to Shannon and Bryan."

"Claire, I'm not going," Gibbs insisted. "And if Bryan were still here, he'd be with me on this."

"Then do it for Shannon," Claire said, her gaze unwavering. "Jethro, I don't ask for much. And since you refused to go to the Marine Corps Birthday ball with me last year, I just ask that you do this with me tonight."

Gibbs sighed and took the garment bag. "Let me change and I'll meet you at the car."

"Don't take too long!" Claire hollered as Gibbs headed down the hall. Going to the nurses' station and finding Dr. Benoit, Claire said, "Let Harry Potter know I'm kidnapping his uncle for the rest of the night."

"Big date?" Jeanne asked with a smile.

Claire's smile was bittersweet as she said, "An… anniversary of sorts."

"I'll let Harry know when he comes back from radiology," Jeanne promised.

"Thank you," Claire said, giving the other woman a nod and heading for the parking lot and to Gibbs' car.

----------------------------

Back at NCIS, McGee had finally found Dudley Dursley and said, "Boss, I found…" Looking up, McGee frowned as he looked around the squad room. "Boss?"

"Gone for the night, Timothy," Ducky said as he got off the elevator. "He's on a dinner cruise with a Miss Claire Hyden."

"A dinner cruise?" Tony repeated, puzzled. "That doesn't sound like the boss."

Ducky nodded. "I would agree, Anthony. But from what I understand, Claire and Jethro are very old friends. Claire was Shannon's best friend and Kelly's godmother."

Tony sighed as he sat down in his chair and looked at the calendar on his wall. "Tonight's 16 years since Shannon and Kelly died."

"Yes, and last year, Claire lost her husband in a store robbery," Ducky added. "Gunnery Sergeant Bryan Hyden. He and Jethro were in the same unit in the Marine Corps years ago."

After a moment, Tony asked, "So what did you find, Probie?"

McGee was a bit perplexed at the change of topic but replied, "I, uh… I-I found Dudley Dursley. Baltimore PD's bringing him here."

"Good work, McGee," Tony said, getting up. "Call me when the kid gets here."

"Where are you going to be?" McGee asked, curious.

"I'm going to check on Harry," Tony replied. "Gibbs said the kid's getting more tests done."

--------------------------

"We found the tumors," Dr. Willis said after Harry was settled back in his room. Sirius, Lupin, and Hermione had arrived when they'd heard about the tests and all three of them could tell that this wasn't exactly the good news they'd been hoping it would be.

"Tumors?" Sirius repeated, his heart sinking. "You mean there's more than one?"

"Where?" Harry asked, sitting up and looking worried. After a moment, he felt Hermione take his hand and when he looked at her, she gave him what seemed to be an attempt at a comforting smile.

Dr. Willis held up the MRI scans of Harry's head and right leg. "One of the tumors is in your right leg, Harry. It's growing on the inside, up the femur. The other is growing behind your left eye. It hasn't gotten tangled in the optic nerves so there's a good chance we'll be able to save your eye."

"What about Harry's leg?" Lupin asked.

"The osteosarcoma is the primary reason Harry's sick," Dr. Willis explained, looking from Lupin to her patient. "The bone marrow is the origin of white blood cells. The tumor has grown inside the bone, weakening the bone itself. We need to completely remove the source of the abnormal cells." Looking at Harry, she added, "We'll have to remove your leg."

"And after that Harry will be alright?" Hermione asked, squeezing Harry's hand.

"We'll give Harry higher chemotherapy doses and hopefully he'll be in remission in a few months," Dr. Willis replied.

"Did the tumors come first?" Hermione asked, her mind spinning as she tried to figure this out.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione in confusion.

Hermione immediately went into 'book-mode' as she explained, "Typically, cancer cells grow and collect, creating tumors. If the tumors grew first, they could have gradually started sloughing off, going into your bloodstream."

"Very good, Miss Granger," Dr. Willis said, impressed. "And yes, that is the case."

"So what does that mean?" Sirius asked, confused.

"If they hadn't found the tumor…" Hermione explained, wishing for once that she wasn't so thorough with her research. "Even if Harry had gone into remission, he'd still be sick."

--------------------------------

At dinner, Gibbs was even more quiet than usual. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Claire. "Remember the first time we did this?" Claire asked, sipping her glass of wine.

"You and Bryan had just tied the knot," Gibbs replied, sipping his glass of bourbon. "Shannon and I were celebrating our second anniversary." A sad smile on his face, he added, "That's when we first started talking about having kids. Shannon said she wanted a little girl… named Kelly."

"I know you were angry at me and Bryan, Jethro," Claire said, setting her glass down. "Trying to go on with our lives… trying to get you to do the same."

"I've given up being angry, Claire," Gibbs replied, downing the rest of his drink. "I know you were trying to help me, but…" Shaking his head, he asked, "What about you? You ever think about finding someone new?'

Claire shook her head. "No. Because every time I try… I keep seeing this scruffy gunnery sergeant smiling at me and asking 'Who dragged you to this party?'."

Gibbs smiled at the memory. "I remember. Shannon made me go to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball… I dragged Bryan along so I'd have someone to talk to."

Claire smiled as well as she added, "Shannon said I should try to find a man in uniform and she made me come as well. But it was a wonderful night. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Me neither," Gibbs admitted, signaling a waiter that he wanted another drink.

"You know our families would kick our butts if they saw us," Claire said, softly. "We promised we wouldn't live in the past if they died before us."

"Claire, I'm not going to push you," Gibbs said, shaking his head.

"I'm not going to push either," Claire agreed. "So let's call this a practice date. Okay?"

When the waiter gave Gibbs his drink, Gibbs raised the glass and when Claire did the same, they toasted. "To giving it one more try."

Claire nodded and said, "To Shannon and Kelly."

"To Bryan and Jake," Gibbs replied.

--------------------------


	5. Chapter 5

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm trying to figure out how I want to progress this story. I kinda write like McGee—just going wherever my muse takes me. I'm also trying to work on 'Deaf, Mute, and an Owl to Boot'. I'll try to have an update on that story soon.

Chapter 5

* * *

When Harry woke, his vision was a bit skewed and his right leg felt weird. Blinking, he looked around as he heard someone call his name.

"How are you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked as she sat down at the foot of the bed, making sure to stay in Harry's limited range of vision.

"How much did they take?" Harry asked, looking at the stump that had been his right leg.

"Most of your leg," Hermione replied. "It's… not clear yet whether or not you'll be able to use a prosthetic." Looking at her best friend, she asked, "Are you…?" But she couldn't say the word 'okay'.

Harry sat up, wincing as the movement jostled what was left of his leg. "What about my eye?"

"No problems. They got all of the tumor and it doesn't look like there was any nerve damage," Hermione assured him. After a moment, she took Harry's hand. "Can I do anything for you, Harry?"

Harry shook his head but he squeezed Hermione's hand. "Just sit with me."

Smiling at Harry, Hermione said, "You're going to be okay now."

"I look like Mad-Eye Moody," Harry scoffed. "Missing a leg... one eye... I'm just a lot less scarred."

"No," Hermione laughed. "Well… maybe a little. But you _didn't_ lose your eye."

"Always wondered what it's like for him," Harry mused, lying back. "You think Moody can choose to see through stuff or…"

"It's usually by choice," Hermione replied. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Harry replied with a yawn.

"I can come back later if you—" Hermione started to say but Harry shook his head.

Sitting up again, Harry asked, "Why is it always me?"

"Come again?" Hermione asked, a bit puzzled.

"Why does everything bad always happen to me?" Harry clarified. "I'm sick, missing a leg and I can only see out of one eye right now."

"But you're going to get better," Hermione insisted. "You're going to get out of this hospital and you're going to be back playing Quidditch."

"How many one-legged Quidditch players have you heard of?" Harry asked, doubtfully.

"How many wizards have survived the Killing Curse?" Hermione countered, raising an eyebrow. "How many 13-year-old wizards can produce a corporeal Patronus? You're the youngest seeker in a century. You've done more than most full-grown wizards."

"I guess," Harry sighed, shrugging. But seeing Hermione's determined look, Harry sighed again. "Okay. I'll try."

"You were meant to be on a broom, Harry," Hermione said, giving her best friend a smile. "And all of us—Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys—we'll do whatever it takes to keep you flying."

"If you say so," Harry shrugged, not feeling as confident as he looked down at what was left of his right leg.

----------

Harry didn't have much of an appetite when one of the orderlies brought lunch. Closing his eyes, Harry wished he could get some real food—even though he was feeling nauseous from the chemo treatments. He was tired of hospital food… He could just imagine a hot hamburger… and a soda… and… Harry opened his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating or if he was really smelling what he thought he was.

Gibbs came into the room holding out a bag and said, "Hey. You hungry?"

"Burgers?" Harry asked, hopefully as he took the bag and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked, sitting next to the bed.

"I'm… okay… I guess," Harry shrugged, as he started eating his burger.

"Come on," Gibbs said with a smile. "I haven't even known you for that long and I can still tell you're not okay."

"Okay…" Harry said after finishing his burger. "I want to get out of the hospital. I'm tired of being here."

"I can understand that," Gibbs replied with a nod.

"It's just…" Harry sighed, not sure of how to say what he was thinking. "The surgeons took most of my right leg. And if I can't use a prosthetic…" Lying back, he added, "There aren't that many one-legged wizards. If I can't fly… I don't know what else there is I can do."

"You could always teach," Gibbs pointed out.

"I guess," Harry sighed. "If I live that long." But Harry sat up again when Gibbs smacked him on the head.

"Hey," Gibbs said, firmly. "You are _not_ going to die. Okay?"

Harry shook his head but when he saw the set look on Gibbs' face he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "Well, if I live through this—" Harry said, nodding at the chemotherapy drugs. "—tell that to Voldemort."

"I've faced worse," Gibbs replied.

"No, you haven't," Harry said, seriously. After a few moments, Harry said, "50 years ago… there was a student named Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was the heir of one of the founders of Hogwarts School, Salazar Slytherin." Seeing that Gibbs was getting a little confused, Harry backtracked. "1000 years ago, Hogwarts School was founded by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw… and Salazar Slytherin."

"I take it he wasn't a good guy," Gibbs said, looking at Harry.

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head. "The other founders believed that anyone who could do magic deserved to learn. Slytherin was… more selective. He thought only pureblood witches and wizards deserved to learn magic. He thought muggleborns and students of mixed blood didn't deserve to learn magic."

Gibbs leaned back in his chair. Jenny had only given him a brief overview of the wizarding world. Now he understood why. "And Voldemort?"

Harry took a breath and looked over at the pitcher of water on the side table. "Um… C-could you…?" Once Gibbs gave Harry a cup of water, Harry took a drink and went on. "Voldemort gathered followers… Other wizards who thought like him… They tortured muggles for fun. Killed them… killed their families… All in the name of purity of blood." Harry spat the last 3 words, not looking at Gibbs. "Mum and Dad… they tried to fight him. Dad was a pureblood… Mum was muggleborn." Harry felt tears sting his eyes and he said, "Dad died first. He tried to… to give Mum time to get away, but…" Harry sniffled and wiped his good eye as he said, "Voldemort said… He said he'd spare my mum if she would…" But Harry couldn't speak as he'd started crying.

Gibbs leaned forward and hugged his nephew, not quite sure what to say. But after a few moments, he said, "I was in Iraq when I got the news about Shannon and Kelly. I should have been there."

"Everything okay?" Jeanne asked as she came into the room.

Harry pulled away from his uncle and nodded. "Fine."

"Uh-huh," Jeanne said doubtfully as she went over to Harry and took off his glasses before she carefully removed the bandage over Harry's left eye.

Harry blinked hard and even though his left eye seemed fuzzier than normal—even without his glasses—he could still see. "So… Am I okay?"

"Follow my finger," Jeanne said as she moved a finger in front of Harry's face before pulling out a penlight and checking pupil reactions. "I think your eyes are just fine," Jeanne said happily as she handed Harry his glasses back. "Your left eye might still be fuzzy for a few days. But other than that…"

"When can I get out of here?" Harry asked.

"You'll have to ask Dr. Willis," Jeanne replied as she pulled Harry's blanket back and started changing the bandages on what was left of the teenager's leg. "You'll have to wait until your leg heals before we can fit you for a prosthetic, but… We can start getting you up and moving with crutches tomorrow." After getting Harry settled again, Jeanne left the room and left a note for Dr. Willis before going to change clothes.

As she left the hospital, Jeanne was surprised to find Tony DiNozzo waiting with two coffee cups. "What's this?" Jeanne laughed.

"A mocha with extra chocolate syrup and whipped cream," Tony replied, handing over the coffee cup. "According to 7 of the 10 nurses I polled that's your favorite."

"That is so sweet," Jeanne replied with a smile. "Thank you."

"There's dinner, too," Tony replied, offering an arm to Jeanne who took it with a smile. "Hope you like Italian."

"Italian works," Jeanne said, giving Tony a look that clearly said that she wasn't talking about food.

----------

"Miss Granger," Jenny Shepard said as the teenager entered the office.

"You asked to see me, Director?" Hermione asked, tentatively.

"Yes, Miss Granger," Jenny said with a smile as she gestured to one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. "Have a seat."

Hermione sat down in the chair, still unsure as to why the Director of NCIS wanted to see her. "I-Is there something wrong with Harry?"

"This isn't about Harry," Jenny said, still smiling. "This is about you."

"Me?" Hermione said, confused.

"I've been talking with Professor Dumbledore and Auror Isabelle Candlewood," Jenny explained. "How do you like Hogwarts?"

"I like it fine," Hermione replied, still not sure what all this was about.

"Your classes are challenging?" Jenny asked, noticing Hermione's hesitation. After a few moments, Jenny said, "Have you thought about after Hogwarts?"

"You mean… a career?" Hermione asked. "Not exactly."

"Waldron Graduate School is basically college for witches and wizards," Jenny explained. "They're very good. And they're located right here in DC."

Leaning back in her chair, Hermione thought about all that. "I haven't thought about life after Hogwarts," she said, honestly. "I…" Looking at Jenny, Hermione shook her head. "You probably don't care about my school life."

"Tell me," Jenny said, genuinely interested.

"I'm a muggleborn," Hermione started. "And…" Hermione stopped, looking away. "It's nothing personal, Director. I just don't want to…"

"I'm a muggleborn as well," Jenny said with a smile. "I know."

"Every day I have to deal with Draco Malfoy telling me I'm 'filthy mudblood'," Hermione said, angrily.

"Lucius Malfoy was worse," Jenny replied. "He liked to remind me that my parents were muggles. And that I'd had to get my things second hand."

"You went to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, curiously. "What house were you in?"

"Hufflepuff," Jenny replied. "You?"

"Gryffindor," Hermione said. "But the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw. Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone with Ravenclaw."

"You remind me of me when I was your age," Jenny said with a reminiscent smile. "I was always studying too much in school."

"But…" Hermione said, thinking. "Considering what I've done to help Harry…"

Pulling out a catalog, Jenny handed it to Hermione as she said, "Here's Waldron's college guide. It has some of the graduate programs and the classes you can take."

"Thank you," Hermione replied, taking the catalog as she stood. "I'll let you know if I decide to go that route."

"There's no hurry," Jenny assured the teenager. As Hermione headed for the door, Jenny said, "Miss Granger…"

"Yes, ma'am?" Hermione asked, turning back to the director.

"My door is always open if you ever want to talk," Jenny replied. "Muggleborn to muggleborn."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a nod before she left the office and headed out, back to the hospital.

-------------

Waking from a restless night, Harry saw Mrs. Weasley sitting by his bed. Sitting up and pulling his glasses on, Harry could tell that she wanted to talk about something and he looked away. "I don't want to talk about the Dursleys."

"Why not?" Molly asked, gently.

"You don't know what it's like…" Harry said, looking away. "…to be hated be your family. To be told you're a freak… To be afraid of your magic and unable to control it." After a few moments, Harry said, "It… got worse after I started at Hogwarts."

Molly took Harry's hand and squeezed, gently. "Harry." Brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes, she said, "It's over. They're going to prison and you never have to worry about them again." Looking at what was left of Harry's leg and the IV in his arm, Molly asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Not as nauseous as before," Harry replied. "My left eye is still a bit fuzzy…"

"Good morning, Harry," Dr. Willis said, as she entered the room. "How are you?"

"When can I get out of here?" Harry asked, quickly.

"Not yet," Willis said as she helped Harry so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "But we can at least get you up and about again." After helping Harry get changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, Willis brought a pair of ring crutches.

Taking the crutches, Harry let out a sigh and as he slid his arms through the rings at the top and grasped the handles, he slowly stood up, taking a moment to get his balance.

"Wonderful, Harry," Molly said, brightly, trying to be encouraging.

"Ready to try taking a few steps?" Dr. Willis asked, looking at Harry.

Harry nodded and after about 10 minutes, he finally started getting the hang of walking with the crutches. Sitting back down on the bed, however, Harry felt more exausted than usual.

"Okay," Dr. Willis said, taking the crutches and setting them aside before Molly helped Harry lie down. "We'll try to get you up again later. Rest."

"I… I think I'm going to…" Harry said, feeling his stomach churn.

Grabbing a trash bin, Molly handed it to Harry just as he threw up. Rubbing the teenager's back, Molly couldn't help looking away as Harry vomited a second time. "Are you alright?" Molly asked, as Harry spat into the trash bin. She handed Harry a cup of water but after taking a small sip, Harry threw up again.

As Harry tried to breathe normally, he felt his right arm start to shake. "What's… wrong… with—?" But Harry couldn't finish his question as his whole body suddenly started shaking.

Stepping back as Harry started having a seizure, Molly watched as Dr. Willis called for a nurse to come help as Harry thrashed about.

A few moments after the nurse injected something into Harry's IV, the teenager started to relax. "Add fluids and a nutritional supplement to Harry's IV," Dr. Willis said as she watched Harry's stats return to normal.

"Was that…?" Molly asked, nervously. "Was that… er… normal?"

"It's… uncommon," Willis said, with a slight shrug. "I want to run some blood tests but I'd say the seizure was caused by a combination of the chemotherapy drugs and low blood sugar."

"Will Harry be okay?" Molly asked, watching Harry in case he started seizing again.

"He'll be tired," Dr. Willis replied before giving Molly a smile. "But he should be fine."

Nodding, Molly took the bin Harry had been throwing up into and went to the bathroom to wash it out before returning to the teenager's bedside.

-------

When Harry regained consciousness, he felt weaker than usual. Even turning his head to look at Mrs. Weasley seemed tiring. "What time is it?" Harry said in a barely audible whisper.

"It's almost 8 at night," Molly said, brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Harry said, closing his eyes. After a few minutes, he fell back asleep.

Pulling the blankets on Harry's bed up to the boy's chin, Molly kissed his forehead and tucked him in before standing and walking around the room a bit to stretch her legs. "Oh! Agent Gibbs," Molly said as the NCIS agent came into the room.

"How's Harry doing?" Gibbs asked as he looked at the sleeping teenager. "Ducky told me about the seizure."

"He's tired," Molly replied, sitting down again. "The doctors gave him fluids and a supplement. Since Harry's been throwing up, he hasn't been able to really keep anything down."

"How much longer are the doctors keeping him?" Gibbs asked, wondering how much time he had to get the house ready.

"Dr. Willis thinks Harry should be able to get out of here by next Friday," Molly replied, smoothing an invisible wrinkle in Harry's blanket. Looking up at Gibbs, she asked, "Is Harry staying with you or…?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied, nodding. "I just have to get the house ready."

"I could help you with that," Molly offered.

"Don't worry about it," Gibbs said, shrugging. "I just have to get one of the bedrooms cleaned out and get some food in the fridge."

"You don't cook?" Molly asked, a bit surprised.

"I do take out," Gibbs laughed. "Shannon… she cooked."

"Lily's sister?" Molly asked, remembering what Sirius had told her about the Evans' family history. When Gibbs nodded, Molly thought for a moment and then said, "Can you cook anything?"

"Macaroni and cheese from a box," Gibbs said, shrugging.

Shaking her head, Molly said, "I'll stop by the store tomorrow and we'll meet at your house?"

"What for?" Gibbs asked, confused.

"Cooking lessons," Molly replied. "And then we'll work on getting your house ready."

"I don't need another wife," Gibbs protested.

"I'm already married, Agent Gibbs," Molly replied with a smile. "Don't worry. This just about helping you so you can help Harry."


	6. Chapter 6

AUTHOR'S NOTES: As always, one of the aspects of writing something where Harry looses a leg is explaining _why_ he had to lose his leg. When I write it that way, it's basically because I want to write it that way. But I know I'm going to get questions, so, as per usual, I had to do some research into the type of tumor Harry had in his leg as well as creating a believable scenario.

Also, the character of Karen Sutherland is borrowed from the NCIS season 5 episode 'Corporal Punishment'. Since she works R&D with some stuff that's a bit... unlikely, scientifically, maybe there's another secret to her developments.

Next chapter I'm planning on having as a flashback chapter to establish background on a few things both in the NCIS world, and on Harry before he showed up in DC.

Chapter 6

* * *

When Harry woke the next morning, he actually felt better than he had in the past week. Sitting up when he saw someone coming into the room, he grabbed his glasses and when he slid them on, he found a darkhaired woman sitting down next to his bed. "Who are you?"

"Ziva David," Ziva replied with a smile. "I'm the one who found you in the park."

"Thank you," Harry said, nodding.

"It was nothing," Ziva insisted. "I was out for my morning run." After a few moments, Ziva decided to ask the question that had been in the back of her mind since this whole mess began. "How did you live with the Dursleys?"

Harry sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Until I was… 7…" he said, quietly. "The neighbors didn't even know I existed. The Dursleys didn't want anything to do with me."

Ziva thought about that for a while and said, "My father… was never an… affectionate man. He was more about… duty and obligation than… than love." After a while, Ziva went on. "When I first started working with NCIS… I figured Gibbs would be the same way." Putting a hand on Harry's arm, she said, "I know it's been hard for you, Harry. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now, but… I know… what it's like to feel… unloved."

Harry gave Ziva a smile and said, "Mrs. Weasley was the first person who… who really cared about me… Other than…"

"Your parents," Ziva finished. "Didn't any of your primary school friends—"

"Never had any friends," Harry replied, quickly. "Er… Did Gibbs tell you about…?"

"That you are a wizard?" Ziva said. "Yes, I know all about that." After a few moments, she added, "I know what it's like to… have to live with a secret like that."

"Really?" Harry asked, curious.

Ziva nodded. "It was two years ago… My… My half-brother killed one of Gibbs' NCIS agents."

Harry could tell that while Ziva wanted to share her secret with someone, she was afraid to talk about it. "What happened?"

Ziva took a deep breath to compose herself and continued her story. "I was sent to… to stop Gibbs from killing Ari… My brother," she added, seeing Harry's puzzled look. "But… I…"

"You had to kill him… didn't you?" Harry finished. When Ziva nodded, Harry put a hand on hers and squeezed.

"Ari… was going to kill Gibbs," Ziva went on, trying not to cry. "And I…I had to kill Ari…"

"Voldemort… killed my father first," Harry said, quietly. "Dad tried to give Mum time to escape, but… Then Voldemort asked Mum to… He… told Mum to… to stop protecting me."

--

Standing outside the room, looking in as Ziva and Harry talked, Gibbs heard footsteps and turned to see Ducky standing there. "Something on your mind, Duck?" Gibbs asked, looking back at the hospital room.

"The two are very much alike, aren't they?" Ducky said, looking at Harry and Ziva. "Which makes it even more interesting that she was the one who found him."

"You saying it was fate, Ducky?" Gibbs said, doubtfully.

"Oh, hardly," Ducky said with a smile. "But it is an extraordinary coincidence, isn't it?"

"How many times I gotta say it, Duck?" Gibbs replied, frowning slightly.

"Just because you don't _believe _in coincidence, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist," Ducky countered.

Gibbs heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Claire walking up, arm in arm with Molly Weasley.

"Agent Gibbs," Molly said with a smile. "This charming young lady says she's a close friend of yours."

"Jethro," Claire said, blushing. Looking over into Harry's room. "Is that Harry?"

"Yes," Ducky said, quietly. "If you'd like to go in and talk with him, I doubt he'd mind."

"Jethro, do you mind?" Claire asked, looking at her friend.

Gibbs shook his head and Claire went into the room as Hermione came hurrying down the hall holding a small stack of papers. "What's all this?" Gibbs asked, looking at the papers Hermione held.

"Um… research," Hermione replied. "I-I've been in the hospital's library for the past day… I… wanted to know how bad Harry was…"

"What did you find?" Gibbs asked as Hermione pulled out some handwritten notes.

Hermione started to open her mouth but seeing the nurses and doctors nearby, she whispered, "I also did some… special research." Giving Gibbs and Ducky a meaningful look, she added, "You know… in regards to…"

"Ahhh," Ducky said, knowingly. "Yes, perhaps this would be best discussed somewhere private."

"I think I know just the place," Gibbs said with a grin.

----------

'Just the place' turned out to be the rather dark basement of a house not far from a Marine base. Hermione looked at the boat frame that took up most of the space in the basement and looking around, she was reminded of the dungeons at Hogwarts Castle.

"Here you are, my dear," Ducky said as he came down the basement steps holding two mugs of hot tea. Holding one out to Hermione, he asked, "Out of curiosity, are your parents physicians?"

"Dentists," Hermione replied, sipping the perfectly brewed Earl Gray. "Charlotte and—"

"—Daniel Granger," Ducky finished with a smile. "Yes, I thought you looked somewhat familiar." When Hermione looked puzzled, he said, "I met your parents last year at a medical conference in London. Wonderful people. They're very proud of you. Kept going on how you were the best in your year at a private boarding school in Scotland."

Hermione blushed and was about to reply to that when Gibbs came down with Sirius and Lupin. "Ahem…" She said, grabbing her notes and research from the table and looked at the others. But suddenly, she felt afraid of giving the others the news. Feeling someone put a hand on her shoulder, Hermione looked, expecting to see Sirius or Lupin… but instead, Gibbs was looking at her with an encouraging smile. Turning to the others, she said, "Well, the… the tumor in Harry's femur is what made Harry sick in the first place."

"That's what Harry's doctor said," Lupin replied.

"What does it matter?" Sirius said, impatiently. "Why can't we find a healer from a magical hospital and regrow Harry's leg?"

"Because there's a 79% chance that doing so could regrow the initial tumor," Hermione replied, flipping through her notes. "Magical tumors of the same grade that Harry had—"

"Forgive me, Miss Granger," Ducky said, interrupting. "But do you mind if I have a brief glance at your notes? Only for a moment, please." When Hermione handed her notes over, Ducky skimmed through, very surprised at how thorough the young woman was. That she had amassed and summarized so much information and so quickly… it was no wonder that her parents had bragged so much about their daughter's intellect. Ducky had a sudden thought, but filed it away for later. Perhaps Miss Hermione Granger would like to intern as an M.E.'s assistant during her summer holidays…

"Duck? You gonna tell us about the report sometime this year?" Gibbs said impatiently.

"Yes, Jethro," Ducky said, apologetically. "Mr. Potter's osteosarcoma—the tumor in his right femur—is what is known as high grade stage IVB with a further grading of T2, N0, M—"

"Ducky!" Gibbs said with an exasperated tone. "In English."

Ducky felt a tad annoyed by Gibbs' impatience, but replied, "The cells of the tumor were quickly reproducing and metastasized to the eye where they gathered between the medial rectus muscle and the optic nerve."

Seeing the confused looks from the others—except Ducky—Hermione clarified. "The upper muscle that controls eye movement and the nerves that send signals from the brain to the eye. There wasn't any metastasis from the tumors to the lymph nodes—which is exceedingly fortunate—and with Harry on chemotherapy treatments and the tumors removed, the doctors hope he'll be in complete remission by the next year."

"Returning to Sirius's question," Lupin interjected. "Why can't we regrow Harry's leg?"

"In all likelihood," Hermione explained. "The osteosarcoma would regrow as well. Perhaps not in precisely the same place, but… Also, the tumor weakened the bone from the inside out. If Harry fell or was struck in the leg, the bone would likely shatter and it would be months, if not years, before he completely recovered. If we regrew Harry's leg, even if the tumor didn't grow back, Harry's leg would still likely be fragile."

Going to his workbench, Gibbs found an empty jar and poured himself a healthy dose of bourbon and was only slightly surprised when Sirius and Lupin asked for stiff drinks as well. "So what now?" Gibbs asked, looking at Hermione with a determined look as he tossed back his drink.

"In a few weeks," Hermione went on. "The doctors will likely try and fit Harry for a prosthetic."

"'Try'?" Sirius said, confused. "Why wouldn't Harry be able to use an artificial leg?"

"It likely depends on how much of Mr. Potter's leg is left," Ducky replied. Looking at Hermione, he asked, "Although I presume that there are some magical advances for prosthetic limbs?"

"There are two designers who deal with magical limbs here in the States," Hermione said, flipping through her notes. Looking at Gibbs, she said, "And one of them is local."

Looking at the name Hermione had written down, Gibbs read aloud, "Karen Sutherland, Biotech Corporation." After a few moments, he said, "Miss Granger, you come with me. Ducky, take Black and Lupin back to the hospital."

Heading up the stairs behind Gibbs, Hermione was confused as to why she was being asked to come along. Once in Gibbs' car on the way to Biotech, Hermione voiced her question. "Agent Gibbs, why did you want me to come with you?"

"Three reasons," Gibbs replied as he drove. "You're Harry's friend, you're a witch… and you can explain stuff without sounding like a computer geek." Glancing at Hermione and giving her a smile, he added, "I take you have experience with that."

"Harry and Ron—That's Ron Weasley, another friend—Anyway, I often have to explain things," Hermione said, shrugging.

"Ducky seemed impressed with you," Gibbs added. "Surprised he didn't offer you a job."

"Well, I haven't finished school yet," Hermione replied. "So… I-I haven't really thought about it, honestly."

"Ah, you've got plenty of time yet," Gibbs said with a grin.

-------------

"How can I help you, Agent Gibbs?" Karen Sutherland asked after Gibbs identified himself and showed her his badge.

"I understand you deal with certain… special projects," Gibbs replied as Hermione started looking at some of the equipment.

"What kinds of 'special projects' would you be referring to, Agent Gibbs?" Karen asked, warily.

"Ever hear of Harry Potter?" Hermione asked, casually. After 4 years, she'd learned that Harry's name was something of a password for finding out who was connected to the wizarding world.

Karen's expression went from guarded to knowing. "Ahhh… Yes, I have. How can I help you?"

"Miss Granger did some research," Gibbs replied. "Found your name in connection to suppliers of magical prosthetics."

Karen laughed at that. "Actually, magic is my secret for most of the items being developed."

"Really?" Gibbs asked, curiously. "How does that work?"

Karen picked up a device and said, "Light emitting diode which speeds the healing process. It's actually a muggle version of a basic healing charm. Some items are inspired… others are created using magic." Crossing over to a metal cabinet, she opened it revealing a plethora of prosthetic limbs. "Very subtle cushioning charms, magical sensing charms which enable the limb to react more naturally."

"So are you a witch, or...?" Gibbs asked.

"Direct," Karen said, with a grin. "I like that. Yes, I am a witch. After graduating Hogwarts School, I attended Waldron Graduate School. They have classes on how certain elements of magic can be used in the muggle world." Seeing Hermione's look of delight, she added, "We have a paid internship during the summer months. If you'd like you can submit an application for next year."

----------------

"So what's it like, Agent DiNozzo?" Jeanne Benoit asked as she and Tony sat in a small café near the hospital.

"What's what like?" Tony asked, as he took a too-large bite of a rather good Philly Cheesesteak.

"Being an NCIS agent?" Jeanne said, laughing.

Tony swallowed and wiped his mouth before replying. "Well, we're like the FBI… except they don't like us. We investigate crimes dealing with the Marine Corps or the Navy. Sometimes we work with Army CID—that's Criminal Investigative Division—or the CIA… and they don't like us much either."

"So why do you do it?" Jeanne asked as she finished off her own sandwich. "Why don't you just go teach somewhere?"

Tony leaned back in his chair. It was so strange how easy it was to talk to Jeanne… "About three years ago one this guy who was rejected from the Marine Corps started killing Marine recruiters with a sniper rifle. NCIS may now get the spotlight… and other agencies may not like us… But we have a job to do."

"Still…" Jeanne went on. "You must have thought about… settling down… starting a family…"

Tony stared into Jeanne's beautiful stormy blue eyes. "The thought's crossed my mind once or twice…"

"So why haven't you?" Jeanne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Haven't found the right woman, I guess," Tony said, sipping his soda.

"Do you think you ever will?" Jeanne asked, unable to keep a hopeful tone out of her voice.

"I'm growing more and more confident by the day," Tony said, flashing Jeanne his best smile.

-------------------


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It took some time and Sirius Black's help to find a magical public library but when Ducky snuck in, he was a bit overwhelmed as he looked at the simply immeasurable room. It didn't seem possible that there could be so many volumes …

"Muggles aren't usually allowed in here," said an older woman as she approached Ducky with a wary expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ducky said as cordially as he could. "I'm actually looking for someone."

"Who?" The woman asked, suspiciously.

"A Miss Hermione Granger," Ducky replied, hoping that Hermione wouldn't be too hard to find in this place. "Young woman about 15 years old… rather frizzy brown hair…"

But the woman nodded and pointed to a winding staircase. "Top of the stairs to the right."

At the top of the moving staircase, Ducky found Hermione at a table surrounded by books of various sizes and scribbling hastily in a notebook. "Miss Granger…" Ducky said, quietly as he approached the teenager.

"Dr. Mallard." Hermione said, looking up from her books. "Sorry, I was just…" Gathering up her notes, she sighed. Ducky sat opposite Hermione and waited until she said, "Harry's been doing better… the doctors say his bloodwork is good… And because of Harry being a wizard, he's not getting the severe side affects you usually get with chemotherapy…" Burying her head in her hands, she let out a long sigh. Hermione was used to studying long hours but reading all these books on Harry's illness… seeing the effects chemotherapy had on the human body… it was emotionally draining.

"How long have you been here?" Ducky asked, looking at the young woman with the eye of a friend as well as a physician.

"Few hours," Hermione replied, as she started to organize her books and research. Holding out a few pages, she said, "For Agent Gibbs. It's a… a summary of what I've found so far."

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?" Ducky asked as he continued to study Hermione. "Or a good night's sleep?"

Hermione shook her head as she packed up her things. "I can't remember," she admitted, standing and shouldering her bag. "But I'm fine, really."

"Why don't the two of us go and grab some supper and we'll talk?" Ducky suggested. Hermione certainly didn't look fine. Standing as well and following Hermione down the stairs, he made a mental note to make sure that Sirius and Lupin kept an eye on Hermione.

"Alright," Hermione agreed as she followed the M.E. to his car. As she and Ducky headed down the road, Hermione asked, "How did you find me?"

"There aren't many wizard libraries in DC," Ducky said with a smile. "Although I was afraid that they wouldn't let me in."

"The wizarding world…" Hermione thought for a moment before trying to explain. "We try to… keep too many non-related muggles from finding out about us."

"I can imagine it would create quite a frenzy," Ducky replied, pulling into the parking lot of a local café. But once inside, Ducky waited until he and Hermione were sitting down before asking, "How long were you at the library?"

"A few hours," Hermione said, quickly. But seeing that Ducky wasn't about to believe that, she sighed. "Since last night after I left Harry at the hospital." After ordering lunch and a large soda, Hermione said, "Harry's been my best friend since our first year. There's hardly been a problem or… or a crisis I haven't helped him with."

"I understand you wanting to help Harry," Ducky replied, knowingly. "But you can't help him if you're risking your own health. You need to take better care of yourself, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded. Her parents had been telling her the same for the past year. That she took on too much… that the Time Turner was a bad idea… All Hermione wanted was to be a great witch… To be even half as powerful as Dumbledore… But as she ate her burger and fries, she started to wonder. At what sacrifice comes greatness?

----------

Harry's second use of the forearm crutches went much better and he was even able to hobble around the room for about five minutes with Dr. Willis following him with the IV stand.

Sitting down on the bed again, Harry looked away as Dr. Willis undid the bandages around what was left of his leg. Looking at the IV, Harry sighed.

"Any pain?" Dr. Willis asked, looking at Harry shrewdly.

"I'm fine," Harry muttered, finally looking at the stump as the doctor redid the bandage.

"Harry, if you're in pain we can give you something," Dr. Willis replied, looking at Harry.

"It's not bad," Harry insisted. "I was just wondering…" Seeing the oncologist's look, Harry said, "Am I going to, you know… be able to walk without the crutches?"

Dr. Willis studied Harry's leg for a few moments before replying. "There are a lot of new advances in prosthetics, Harry."

"But?" Harry asked, hearing the word in the doctor's voice.

Dr. Willis sighed. "But they had to take a good bit of your leg. Even with a top of the line prosthetic, you might still have some problems."

Harry sighed as he thought about that. It was just what he'd been worried about in the first place. If he was stuck with using crutches, how in the world would he be able to get up all the staircases at Hogwarts? Not to mention that he still had about a month of chemotherapy treatments. What if he needed further treatments once the new term started? Hearing a knock at the door, Harry looked up to see a woman with green eyes and light brown hair standing there.

"Can I help you?" Dr. Willis asked looking at the mystery woman, although she did seem to recognize the woman as being with Agent Gibbs before.

"Could I talk with Harry for a while?" The woman asked, looking at Harry with interest. "Alone?"

Dr. Willis nodded and stood, giving Harry a smile as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

As the woman sat down facing Harry, she seemed to study him. "You have Shannon's eyes," she said, with a sad smile. When she saw that Harry was confused, she laughed. "My name is Claire Hyden. I'm an old friend of Jethro's. And I was Shannon's best friend."

"So… What did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked, still puzzled.

"Jethro told me about the whole magic thing…" Claire replied. "I have to say… It's… pretty incredible." Harry didn't reply as he scooted back on his bed and lay down. Claire wasn't put off by this, however, and said, "My son died of cancer when he was 14. He'd been sick since he was 6. When Jethro told me that you were sick… I just want to say, I know what you're going through."

"Sometimes I wish it all would just stop," Harry said, quietly. "If it's not evil wizards trying to kill me, then it's my own body trying to do the deed." Looking at Claire, he sat up straighter and said, "I-I'm not saying I want to… you know."

"Kill yourself?" Claire supplied, grateful that Harry wasn't contemplating suicide.

"I just wish everything would stop happening to _me_," Harry sighed, lying back.

"I know," Claire replied, sympathetically, as she leaned forward to take Harry's hand. "I know."

-------------

Ducky dropped Hermione off at Gibbs' house and when Hermione went to the basement, she saw the NCIS agent working on the boat frame. Walking down the steps, Hermione's eye was caught by a framed photo on the workbench to the left. Walking over, she picked up the picture of Gibbs with a woman who looked a bit like Lily Potter and a young girl about 8 years old. Was this Gibbs' family? What had happened to them?

"That's my first wife, Shannon," Gibbs said, glancing at Hermione for the briefest of moments. "And our daughter, Kelly."

"Kelly looks like you, a bit," Hermione said, putting the picture back before turning to Gibbs. "Agent DiNozzo told me they were killed."

Gibbs stopped working on the boat and looked up at Hermione before walking over and picking up the picture. "This was taken in Mexico while I was on leave from the Marines. It was a year before…" Picking up his tools again, Gibbs resumed working as he asked, "Can I help you with something, Miss Granger?"

Hermione sat down by the workbench, pulling a few pieces of notebook paper out of her pocket as she said, "I did some additional research. It looks like Harry's magic is acting like a protection against some of the nastier side effects from the chemotherapy. But his hair is starting to fall out. Harry's doing better, but his immune system is weak. He can't eat much… he has no appetite." Standing and pacing, Hermione went on. "Harry's tired, but he can't sleep…"

Seeing that Hermione was anxious, Gibbs grabbed a sander and said, "Come here a sec." Puzzled, Hermione did as told and Gibbs took her hand, placing a sander in it and then turning her so she faced the boat. "Sand _with_ the grain of the wood," Gibbs said, smiling a bit at Hermione confused expression. But at the teenager started sanding, Gibbs could see her start to relax slightly. Going back to his work, Gibbs asked, "How are you doing?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, honestly. What was it about the simple act of sanding that seemed so… calming? "I just feel helpless. Like I'm just standing on the sidelines watching my best friend go through Hell and I can't do anything to help."

"You are helping," Gibbs assured her. "You're being there for him."

"Doesn't feel like enough," Hermione muttered, dejectedly as she sanded the sides of the boat.

Changing the subject, Gibbs said, "So have you thought about that internship Karen Sutherland offered you?"

Hermione let out a laugh and said, "Between her, Dr. Mallard, Director Sheppard, and Professor McGonagall I'm swimming in job offers and I haven't even graduated Hogwarts yet."

Gibbs smiled at that although he was curious as to what kind of job Jenny had offered Hermione. "You have a lot of potential." Pausing in the woodwork, he asked, "What do _you_ want to do?"

Hermione paused in her sanding, thinking about the question for a while. "I don't know."

Going back to work, Gibbs said, "Well, you've got time to think about it yet."

Hermione nodded, but she couldn't help thinking that it was so strange how easy it was to talk to Gibbs.

-------------------


End file.
